The hilarious - or infuriating, depending on how seriously you're taking this - thing about Harper's jumping-up-and-down-in-fury reaction is that he's accusing the Liberals and NDP of 'doing backroom deals with separatists'. Well, let's see... In 2004, when Paul Martin's Liberal government hit minority standing due to by-election and other losses, Harper wrote to the then Governor-General asking her to deny any request by Martin to dissolve Parliament as he and the other party leaders (NDP and Bloc Québecois) were in 'close communication' and believed that they could form a government. The letter was signed by all three leaders. Rumour has it something very similar happened in 2000 or so, during the Chrétien era.
Then, when Harper came out of the last election as leader of the largest party but without a majority, who did he announce a coalition with
on election night, with votes still being counted in Western Canada? The Bloc Québecois; in other words, the separatists.
Someone needs to explain to Harper how parliamentary democracies work: if your party doesn't have a majority, the only way you can govern is by forming alliances with other parties. Since the election, he's given the appearance that he doesn't think he needs to do that - in fact, given the proposals he put forward, on cutting federal funding for political parties, curbing equal pay claims and other controversial measures, as well as failing to produce a stimulus package for the economy, he was practically thumbing his nose at the other parties. Me, I think he deserves all he gets.
On the other hand, the alternative is still Stéphane Dion, the leader so incompetent that he allows himself to be filmed addressing the nation with a book clearly visible behind him entitled
Hot Air!
Wendy
